Did I mention how much i hate lilly beatles? They ate my favorite lilly. I am about to forget all international agreements and resort to chemical warfare :(

#gardening #gardenpests #lilly

More from the #UniversityOfGeorgiaCooperativeExtension - Home Garden #GreenBeans!

"Green beans are one of the most popular vegetables for the #HomeGarden. Fortunately, they are easy to grow as well. Green beans are a warm season crop that can be planted as soon as the danger of frost has passed in the spring. Green beans grow best when air temperatures range from 65°F to 85°F. Soil temperatures should be at least 55°F for good seed germination. Air temperatures above 85°F can cause flowers to drop and slow production.

Types of Beans

Green beans come in three different types based on their growing characteristics. Bush beans are compact varieties that grow in a bush form and need no external support. They are great for raised beds and gardens limited in space.

Pole beans are similar to bush beans but grow in a vining manner and require some type of cage or trellis system for support. Pole beans can reach heights of 6 feet or more, so the support system should be strong and high enough to accommodate them. An advantage of pole beans is that they are easier to harvest; you don?t have to bend over completely to pick them like you do bush beans.

Half-runner beans are a cross between pole beans and bush beans. Half-runners can be grown without support but they spread out more than bush beans and need plenty of room to grow.

Planting

Green beans grow best in a well-prepared and organically amended soil. They should receive six to eight hours or more of sunlight every day for optimum growth. Green beans can be directly seeded in the garden and do not need to be started as transplants. Soaking seeds overnight in warm water will help speed up the germination process after they are planted in the soil. Most green beans do best when planted about 1 inch deep and 6 inches apart in the rows with 3 feet between the rows. After planting, be sure to firm the seed bed with your hand, garden tool or cultipacker. This will help ensure good soil contact and better germination.

Fertilization

Green beans are legumes and don?t require a lot of fertilizer. Green beans prefer a slightly acidic soil with a pH of approximately 6.5. Soil test for a more accurate recommendation of lime and fertilizer needs. In the absence of a soil test, add 5 pounds of 5-10-15 fertilizer per 100 feet of row. Fertilizer should be applied at planting time and again after small beans begin to appear. Additional fertilizer can be applied throughout the growing season to keep beans producing until the summer heat takes its toll.

Watering

Irrigate beans immediately after planting. Keep the seed bed moist, but not soggy, for the first week until germination occurs. Reduce watering to once every three days after the first week. Water as needed after beans become established, usually about twice a week.

Harvesting

Green beans should be ready for harvest 45 to 60 days after planting, depending on the variety. Harvest beans while they are still immature and not fully developed. This will produce a bean that is tastier and tenderer. To encourage the plant to maintain production, continue to harvest beans as they become ready. Beans should be stored in a cool, dry location and kept fresh for several days, or they can be canned for long-term storage.

Problems

Although green beans are easy to grow, there are a few problems that can occur. Insect problems include leaf beetles, aphids and spider mites. Disease issues include #anthracnose, rust, powdery mildew and grey mold. Most of these problems can be prevented or controlled by using sound cultural practices and planting resistant varieties. Occasionally an insecticide or fungicide may be needed to control insects and disease problems."

Source:
https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C1006

#SolarPunkSunday #Gardening
#GardeningHacks #GardenPests
#VegetableGardens #GrowYourOwnFood #GrowYourOwn #FoodSecurity

So, I re-planted the garlic in the vegetable garden bed, and noticed that the remaining squash plant had a couple of garlic starts around it that I had missed. Interesting. I just put up some thorny barriers (old rose canes are the best, but I only had a couple of those -- the rest were blackberry and raspberry canes), so hopefully those measures (along with a light spray of neem) will keep the pests away. Keeping my remaining squash plants indoors until I see what happens in the garden...

#SolarPunkSunday #Gardening #GardeningHacks #GardenPests #VegetableGardens

I was just checking how my First Gold hop plants are doing when I spotted this comma butterfly sunning itself on the wall right next to them. And guess what its caterpillars like to eat.
Clue: it ain't egg-and-cress sandwiches........
More info in alt text.
#butterflies #hops #gardening #gardenwildlife #plants #gardenpests #homebrewing

Nuisance wildlife management (Habitat 🌄)

Nuisance wildlife management is the selective removal of problem individuals or populations of specific species of wildlife. Other terms for the field include wildlife damage management, wildlife control, and animal damage control. Some wild animal species may get used to human presence, causing property damage or ri...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuisance_wildlife_management

#NuisanceWildlifeManagement #Ecology #Habitat #Wildlife #GardenPests #Pests

Discovered these on a couple of different plants this morning. First of the season.
#Gardening #Tomatoes #Cutworms #GardenPests

The aforementioned "Aphid Apocalypse" on Brussel Sprouts and this isn't even the worst of it. I may have to spring for floating row covers next year. For now I will continue my manual squishing, hosing off, insecticidal soap method. With winters warming up, the aphids get worse every year. I don't want to give up on brassicas because, other than aphids, they do so well around here.
#garden #gardening
#gardenpests

Fellow #gardeners - what do you use for dealing with #aphids & other common #GardenPests?

I use 3 different & #AllNatural treatments.

Crushed garlic infused water. I just crush a bunch of garlic cloves & infuse in water in large glass container, put outside in sun for 48 hrs. Then put liquid into spray bottle. I refill glass container with more water & repeat. I use this on food plants.

I use tomato leaves infused water on all my flower plants (safe to use on any plant/shrub/tree - not safe for any nightshade plants). Super easy to make. Just take some tomato leaves/stems, chop into chunks & infuse in water for 24 hours. Put the infused liquid into spray bottle. Repeat above for up to 5 days before you need to change the leaves/stems again. This DIY treatment also helps repel several other garden pests.

Last one is the easiest. Buying Neem oil based spray. This is for folks who don't want to do DIY methods above.

#Gardening #horticulture #GardenPestManagement

#Garden question for the hive mind. How do you deal with spider mites indoors? So far all of my indoor grows have eventually succumbed to mites or gnats, depending. (Neem only seems to annoy them. Coating the soil in DE works for the gnats, but eventually the mites go hardcore and start absolutely covering the leaves and everything else. Seems like neem only kills them when they get stuck to it and they ignore the soap completely.)

Up till now I've just lost plants over the winter, or stuck them outside to get natural cures. (Send thoughts&prayers to the Cuke-nado, evicted from the tent 3 days ago due to mites.) I'd like to be able to grow something other than lettuce indoors but I just can't get a handle on these pests. Environmental changes, sticky-stickers, DE powder, insect soap, neem.. nothing works.

(There might be multiple pests under "mites". We have always had some spider mites move in with the houseplants in the fall, but the plants didn't care and the mites died off within a couple of weeks. Rarely needed treatment. The vegetable plants seem to be getting both "traditional" spider mites, with the little web nests and such, as well as something on the same size that is visible on the surface of the leaves.)

#mites #gardenpests #gardening

Question for collective gardening wisdom here... we are seeing these critters on almost every single rose bud in our garden. Currently spraying them with insecticidal soap. But anyone know of a better remedy?
If these insects destroy our roses, I am going to be seriously pissed.

#gardenpests #roses

#gardening report: transplanted Sakura tomato and marigolds. Weeded, harvested arugula and spinach. Wow, is spinach pollen impressive! If it made a sound when released we'd hear loud KaBooms in the garden. The picture is of a squirrel/rabbit protected New England Aster. 3 weeks ago it had been eaten back to the ground. #gyo #GrowFoodFromSeeds #GardenPests

Noxious weed (Habitat 🌄)

A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or livestock. Most noxious weeds have been introduced into an ecosystem by ignorance, mismanagement, or a...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noxious_weed

#NoxiousWeed #Weeds #Habitat #GardenPests #AgriculturalPests #AnglophoneCentric

The Hedgehog feeding station is now protected from slug invasion by a parallel track of copper wires connected to a 9v battery.

This won't harm the slugs but they should feel an unpleasant tingle.

We've already had a pair of juveniles feeding together here tonight, sitting across the wires and the didn't seem to notice anything. The slugs will!

#Hedgehogs #Slugs #GardenPests

Pretty bummed that in the course of two weeks in July while I was away, the bulk of my vegetable patch succumbed to white flies. Probably came in from squash plants from Lowe’s. Green beans and cucumbers are probably goners, but I can salvage pole beans, poblanos, and maybe the tomatoes.

Otherwise, if I scrap and start prepping for next season, do I need to “fly proof” my soil? #plants #gardening #gardenpests

Everyday, I find one caterpillar eating my alyssum. I tell myself, at least it's not slugs. But then how would I know? Slugs are nocturnal.
#gardenpests #containergardening

That feeling when you're *really hoping it's just a combination of rain and the plaster/whatever residue from the next door neighbors renovating the outside of their house, but you have a suspicion it's actually powdery mildew... #gardening #gardenpests #gardendrama #sweetpeas

What a beautiful chafer beetle on our Shrubby Cinquefoil, or so we thought.

And then we discovered its a destructive pest, Japanese Beetle, Popilia japonica.

Within 15 minutes we had captured 36 of them on 2 bushes! 😱

#beetles #gardenpests #invasivespecies #novascotia

SOMETHING is absolutely inhaling my zucchini leaves.
#gardening
#gardenpests
#zucchini
#vegetables

Troubled by wasps this summer? I have a fail-safe approach to shooing them away

#wasps #gardenpests #dontgetstung #gardening #gardeners wasps are the gardeners friends!

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/24/troubled-by-wasps-this-summer-i-have-a-fail-safe-approach-to-shooing-them-away?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other